In different places where public converge for the acquisition and promotion of products and services, such as exhibitions, conventions, information centers and so on, the use of furniture and displays is necessary so that people can make contact with suppliers and get to know their products. In this regard, a great variety of these pieces of furniture is available, and built in wood, metal, with shelves, partitions, however, in general terms, they are bulky, difficult to handle, and their transportation entails hardships as they occupy important footprint.
A known solution in the prior art for these problems, has been the creation of cardboard foldable furniture and displays. Nevertheless, their poor structural rigidity is a drawback, as items of considerable weight cannot be placed thereon, and furthermore, it is impossible for the vendor to lean on such furniture. One example of a cardboard display is described in the European patent EP 0 575 275 A1, incorporated herein by reference. In addition, this type of cardboard furniture lacks a remarkable aesthetic appearance, an important factor in order to achieve a commercial impact for the product or service being offered.
Furthermore, there exists furniture with a countless panels, rods and posts joined to each other, however, assembly thereof results in a time-consuming activity because the pieces to be assembled together are numerous.
Nevertheless, furniture is available that has been widely accepted and practical for the above purposes, such displays are comprised of a base, a cover on top of the base and a board placed over the cover. In this type of displays, the board serves to identify the name of the supplier or the product being offered, whereas the supplier stands behind the module to deal with the customers approaching the same.
One of these displays is described in the Mexican patent No. 212, 227, on which, its most important feature being that the elements of the module are taken apart and stored in the shape of a portfolio. In the module of this patent, is included a hinged shelf inside the base. However, an issue with this module is that the shelf and the post sections holding the board move inside the base when they are stored therein. In addition, when the module is assembled, the posts and the board lack sufficient stability, furthermore, the pins employed to close the cover are external and, therefore, become an aspect prone to flaws.
The module of the above patent was restructured in the Mexican patent No. 225,710, in which, the most outstanding changes are the inclusion of 45° cutouts between the post sections and a second shelf that runs over a rail, as well, a support was included to maintain the post sections fixed inside the second shelf. Despite this change, the board continues being unstable, as it sways over the cover, furthermore, the shelves frequently fall off their horizontal position, because they snap in place between the lateral panels of the base at their free lateral ends only. Furthermore, the cover (portfolio body) has strength issues when the module is stored therein, particularly, the cover is prone to break apart while being handled and transported. More specifically, it is perceived that when the cover is hit at its bottom, the impact travels through the lateral faces and reaches the cover which in turn breaks apart.
Another issue, is the occurrence of scratches on the panels of the base every time it is taken in or out of the cover. Likewise, it is noticed that when the base is inside the cover, the former moves upwards and downwards, and therefore wears out.
In order to solve the module issues from Mexican patents No. 212,227, and No. 225,710, the former was improved as shown in the international patent application No. PCT/IB2005/002083; in this application means for supporting and firmly holding the shelves in place are proposed when the module is collapsed, i.e. the shelves do not move when the module is carried around as a portfolio. In addition, one of the shelves is slidable in order to readily place in a horizontal position when the module is assembled. Modifications are also incorporated thereto that enhance the strength of the cover, which is the part that acts as a case to store the base along with the board and the posts inside the same. It is worth mentioning that this type of modules that folds in the shape of a portfolio can be purchased in Mexico under the Quick Counter® brand.
Now, this module satisfies the needs for the services and products offered at “points of sale” because of its ruggedness. However, one of its drawbacks is that the cover is independent from the base and, therefore, it continuously attaches and detaches thereof, which in turn delays the assembly process of the entire module to a certain extent. Likewise, since the cover includes a handle to carry the module, pins to close the same, cushioning pads and reinforcing corner pieces, the cover needs a detailed manufacturing process. Furthermore, aluminum hinges are employed to hingedly attach the module's base panels, which therefore increase the weight that is in the range of around 13 Kg.
In the market the needs of certain customers to foldable displays could be met in a different manner, i.e., if such consumers do not require such a rugged and resistant module as those stored away in the shape of a portfolio, there exists the need to provide display modules with a reduced number of elements to be assembled, that is, lighter versions of a display module, yet with the stability, resistance and, over all, long durability that is, of course, unavailable in foldable cardboard modules.